Darkness & Shadows — Andrew E. Kaufman

The only woman Patrick Bannister ever loved has died…again.

Struggling professionally and reeling from the psychological wounds left by a horribly abusive mother, Patrick is driven over the edge by a news report. A wealthy socialite couple has been murdered, and while the wife's name isn't familiar, her face certainly is. It's his first and only love, Marybeth, the woman he lost to a horrific fire years ago.

Is he losing his mind?

Patrick's obsession to find the truth sends him scouring records and documents that lead him to a shocking discovery: there's no evidence Marybeth ever lived or, for that matter, ever died. Was the love of Patrick's life just a product of his abused psyche?

The truth may kill him.

His quest for answers takes him on a twisted mental odyssey that forces him to question his own reality. He might not be able to trust his memories and perceptions of the past, but the answers may still lie in the darkest recesses of his mind.

But Patrick will soon find out that by stoking the flames from that long ago fire, he's blazing a path straight into danger. And this time, not only is he about to get burned -- he could also end up losing his life.